Extra Credit

Firing upheld for Heights official

An independent hearing examiner upheld the firing of Joseph Palazzolo saying he was not a whistle-blower as claimed, according to a report issued to district officials late Friday. Palazzolo has said he was retaliated against for helping to bring forward information about Heights that embarrassed the district -- such as allegations of mishandling attendance records, a hostile work environment at the school and the disparate treatment of minority students.

But hearing examiner Rick Rickman upheld the termination saying trustees had good cause to fire Palazzolo. Among Rickman's findings were that Palazzolo falsified job applications for the district, mistreated students, caused a divisive atmosphere at schools and used questionable tactics. The complete report can be read here and here.

Palazzolo's attorney Jason Smith questions the accuracy of the report. For example, Smith said Rickman writes about a conflict Palazzolo had with a student known by initials “S.S.” and notes that she is an African American student who was later removed from his purview as assistant principal. The report goes on to note that other African American students were also reassigned from Palazzolo’s by superiors because he had issues working with minority students. Rickman had upheld in the report district allegations that Palazzolo disciplined minority students harsher than whites. But Smith said “S.S.” is an Anglo student.

“The hearing examiner states that Joe’s treatment of S.S. was discriminatory but S.S. is white,” Smith said. “That’s a big mistake. He can’t even get the basic facts correct.”

Rickman noted that the hearing transcript was more than 2,300 pages with a number of exhibits that he had to review to meet Friday's deadline. "It is possible that a mistake could have been made, and if so, I will address it," Rickman wrote in an e-mail response.

District spokeswoman Barbara Griffith said “S.S.” is a white student but the situation described in the report about her was not about race but about Palazzolo’s treatment of her as a student. She noted that officials would review the report to look for any errors and address those before the board votes on Palazzolo's firing at its March 8th board meeting.

“It was not about racial treatment but about him accusing her of promiscuity and being inappropriate and disrespectful to students in general,” Griffith said.

Palazzolo's attorney Jason Smith disagrees with the reports findings saying it disregarded testimony from teachers who supported his client and called him "ethical, fair and consistent." He plans to appeal to Texas Education Agency commissioner Robert Scott.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

 

UNT's Oscar watch

Marian Brock, a 2005 graduate of UNT, plays a starring role in the Oscar-nominated film God of Love.  The Academy Award ceremony is this Sunday (Feb. 27). To find out more:

http://northtexan.unt.edu/content/marian-brock?homepage=1

Fort Worth school officials approve hiring freeze, discuss probationary contracts

Tuesday night trustees approved a hiring freeze for noncritical positions for the rest of 2010-11 as the district struggles with funding issues.

Administrators gave a brief presentation on how they are examining staffing issues as they work to avoid layoffs, which officials have said may not be possible. More specific details will be given at next week's budget workshop.

The Fort Worth school district is working to cut $30 million from its budget each of the next two years as it braces for state funding cuts.

Superintendent Melody Johnson said school districts are in a difficult position with probationary teacher contracts. Such employees must be notified 45 days before the end of school, which would be April 15, if they are not to be renewed.

Johnson said that means a decision must be made on their contracts before the district really knows how much money it will actually receive from the state for the next two years.

Sylvia Reyna, chief of administration, noted that if probationary teachers are informed that their contracts are not renewed, some could be hired back once the district knows its funding situation at a later date and would be considered before any new hire.

“We’re doing everything possible to avoid notifying them that they may not have a job,” Johnson said of probationary teachers.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

TWU meal plans will go up next fall

Meal plans at Texas Woman's University will go up an average of 2.8 percent next fall. For example, TWU's most expensive plan _the University Plan _ will increase $45 from $1,450 to $1,495. The 2011-2012 meal rate proposal was approved Friday by the TWU Board of Regents.

Diane Smith

TWU Board of Regents approves updating public smoking policy

Texas Woman's University tightened its smoking rules Friday when the Board of Regents approved a new smoking policy for the Denton and Dallas campuses. Under the new rules, which take effect June 1, people can no longer smoke within 25 feet of building entrances. Instead, people will have to smoke in designated areas located away from entrances and exits to buildings, windows and air intake vents. Smoking is also not allowed in vehicles operated by TWU employees. Historically, TWU hasn't allowed smoking in the dorms or buildings. TWU has had smoking policy since 1992. The board's action aimed to place tighter controls. TWU's Houston campus is smoke-free because it is abides by Houston ordinances, according to the university. Public smoking on campus has been a big issue at the University of Texas at Arlington, which will become smoke free by August of this year (check out the background).

Diane Smith

 

TWU opens new health institute in Dallas

 

A grand opening celebration was held Friday for the new TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center. TWU Chancellor Ann Staurt said in a press release that about 50 percent of students major in nursing and healthcare fields, and more than 900 of those are nursing students in Dallas. Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, who donated $5 million to the center's fundraising campaign in 2006, was the main speaker at the ceremony. Texas Woman's University raised more than $53 million for the new Dallas Building. The eight-story facility will house the university's College of Nursing, the TWU Stroke Center-Dallas and the health systems management program. Occupational and physical therapy programs are expected to move into the 190,000-sq.-ft. building by next January.

Diane Smith

 

(Photo courtesy of TWU)

Texas Woman's University nursing lab administrator Rica Kendrick, right, explains how human patient simulators work as T. Boone Pickens and Marti Carlin, director of community affairs for the T. Boone Pickens Foundation, tour the TWU T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences-Dallas Center during a grand opening ceremony Friday, Feb. 18.

 

Could schools face new federal standards soon?

Making the federal No Child Left Behind law more flexible and not as far-reaching by this summer is the Obama administration's goal, according to this Associated Press story. The news service reports the president wants to make reauthorizing the federal law -- a key piece of the George W. Bush's administration -- a priority this year, ideally by the summer.

The aim of the 2002 NCLB law was to have all students proficient in reading and math (performing on grade level) by the 2013-14 school year. It grades schools on whether or not they meet "adequate yearly progress" toward that goal. Texas educators have long said the law does not take into account various factors and dings programs aimed at helping some of the most struggling students. For example, some area schools designed to work with students at-risk of dropping out or former dropouts have missed federal AYP standards for having low graduation rates.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

Texas has until Sept. 30 to claim money for education jobs, feds say

The Star-Telegram's Washington bureau chief Maria Recio reports that Texas has until Sept. 30 to claim $830 million aimed at saving education jobs. But that money remains in limbo as the state's Republican and Democrats square off over Texas-specific amendments tied to the bill.

When the $10 billion education jobs bill was passed last year, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, added on an amendment that requires Texas to maintain the current level of education funding for three years in order to receive the funds. He has said this was done to ensure the money went to schools as Democrats have maintained that stimulus money aimed at boosting education funding two years ago instead went to balance the state's budget. Gov. Rick Perry has said the amendment would require violating the state's constitution that does not allow a governor to obligate a future Legislature to certain spending levels.

A lawsuit has been filed over the matter. Meanwhile, schools across Texas are bracing for significant cuts as the state wrestles with what some estimate to be up to a $27 billion shortfall for the next two years. Some local districts are considering layoffs and other program cuts.

-Eva-Marie Ayala

UNT Medical Education and Training Building is meeting strict environmental standards

UNT's Medical Education and Training Building recently received a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, LEED, green building certification at the Gold level. The building, part of the Health Science Center in Fort Worth, is the first building in the UNT system to be recognized at the Gold level, according to a news release. The building is expected to save about 250,000 gallons of potable water each year and about $55,000 in yearly in electricity and natural gas costs.

Diane Smith

Consumer protection rules aimed at for-profit colleges prompt new debate

Civil rights groups are mobilizing against recent efforts to limit proposed federal rules aimed at making sure for-profit colleges deliver the education promised students.

The federal government has been fine-tuning rules, but this week a spending amendment filed by Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., would limit their reach. For more information, The Associated Press covered the issue.

“We are very concerned about this amendment,” Lisa Maatz, director of public policy and government relations at the American Association of University Women.

Maatz was among several leaders participating Tuesday in a press call hosted by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The coalition of civil rights groups sent a letter to House members opposing the amendment.

“I want to make sure that when they enroll in an institution that they know exactly what it is that they are in for,”  said Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill.

For-profit colleges are under fire as recent loan debt trends show that students who attend these institutions are more likely to default on federal loans than students at public or private universities.

Last September, Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that for the loan award year of 2008-09, for-profit school students represented 26 percent of borrowers and 46 percent of defaulters (See press release). The median federal loan debt carried by students earning associate’s degrees at for-profit schools was $14,000, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Additionally, an undercover federal investigation, conducted at 15 for-profit colleges, found questionable practices.The investigation, by the Government Accountability Office, documented that schools made deceptive statements about graduation rates, guaranteed jobs after graduation or exaggerated future earnings, according to a story published in the Star-Telegram on Sept. 11, 2010.

Diane Smith